Save the Children
Child Safeguarding Statement for Adverts
Save the Children is committed to ensuring that all our personnel and programmes are absolutely safe for children.
We undertake rigorous procedures to ensure that only people suitable to work with children are allowed to join our organisation and all candidates will be therefore be subject to this scrutiny.
CS positioning statement:
We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.
Job Title: PROGRAM OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
TEAM/PROGRAMME: China Senior Management Team
GRADE: 1
LOCATION: National (with significant travel to field and Beijing (if not located in Beijing) – at least 40% of time)
POST TYPE: Open
Child Safeguarding:
Level 3 - the responsibilities of the post may require the post holder to have regular contact with or access to children or young people
ROLE PURPOSE: As a member of the Senior Management Team, the Program Operations Director shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Office programme. The POD in his/her capacity is responsible for implementation, effective management and co-ordination of all programming in Provincial Offices in China with all programme thematic areas in Education, Health, Protection, CRG, emergency preparedness and response (including DRR) for the Country Office in China.
SCOPE OF ROLE:
Reports to: COO
Dimensions: Save the Children works in 12 provinces in China with a 110 current staff and current expenditure of approximately $10 million this year
Staff directly reporting to this post: Area Managers (4), National Supply Chain Senior Officer, Child Protection Manager, Emergency and DRR Officer.
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:
As a member of the Senior Management Team, contribute to:
- Leadership of the China Programme Office
- Support the development of an organisational culture that reflects our dual mandate values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up our people to deliver outstanding results for children
- Help design and implement a coherent organizational structure that is consistent with agency practices and appropriate to program needs
- Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with: government authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional donors, and local and international NGOs
- Provide the leadership to implement the Country Strategic Plan under the guidance of the COO, support the implementation and follow up of CO KPI Improvement plan, Audit recommendations and other general CO Risk management plans.
- Ensure that the required support is provided promptly, at scale and in line with the rules and principles during emergencies, working closely with the Regional Office
Overseeing and Managing Programme Implementation
- Responsible for overall coordination of programme implementation and delegated responsibility for field delivery, in particular looking to ensure that appropriate processes are in place to ensure consistent and high quality programme delivery
- In close coordination with the Director Programme Development & Quality, Finance Director and Donor Relations and Awards Management Director, ensure that all programmes progress in accordance with grant agreements, are completed within time and on budget.
- Serve as overall budget holder for most programming; manage and support budget holders for individual projects and awards
- With the support of Finance, HR and Supply Chain oversee all sub-offices and ensure all relevant SCI processes and procedures are in place with the support of the various heads of departments.
- In collaboration with the Area Managers and SMT, define and implement an effective, efficient and sustainable operating model, including defining and developing the role of Save the Children and its partners.
- Ensure that cross synergies exist among various programmes.
- Ensure operational inputs are provided and reflected as necessary/relevant in proposal design
- Ensure programmes are implemented in ways responsive to the communities, and children in line with Save the Children principles, values and strategic plan and following Save the Children compliance procedures.
- Ensure preparation of quarterly, half-yearly and annual progress reports, programme reports, and donor reports.
Budget Management
- Ensure expenditure is authorized in accordance with the budget authorization procedures within the scheme of delegation (SoD)
- Monitor for significant variances between budget and actual expenditure for Programs
- Ensure appropriate action is taken for budget under/overutilization identified working closely with Award team
- Ensure that budget holders under direct report prepare reports on financial performance of their award as required either by donors or other, internal demands.
- Ensure to get prior approval from the Member (and/or donor) for incurring costs on any individual budget line which are more than budget line flexibility as per Fund Summary and review with Awards Unit for variations 10% above the costs budgeted for that line item.
Supply Chain
- Build a high performing supply chain team, capable of gearing up to provide a humanitarian response when necessary ensuring that the programme secures value for money at all times and that SCI procedures and processes are followed to the letter.
- Manage the CO Supply Chain department ensuring that all CO Supply Chain activities (fleet, assets, transport, supply chain, base setup etc.) are coordinated
- Ensure procurement processes are effectively implemented in line with SCI procedures and that documentation is complete and easily accessible
- Work closely with the procurement team in negotiating the best deals with suppliers and ensure all team members are aware of the potential for fraud and of the implications if fraud is discovered.
- Ensure proper documentation and recording of the fixed assets and inventory of the organisation
Safety and Security
- Ensure that all safety and security minimum operating standards are met by the CO
- Work with the Field Office Safety and Security Focal Points to ensure implementation of CO safety and security guidelines and ensure periodic security assessment are carried out at the National and Field Office level and reports submitted to the COO on time.
Representation and Networking
- In collaboration with the PDQ team as well as field teams, proactively seek and maintain, active and regular working relationships with government authorities, donors and partner agencies, key collaborating domestic and international NGOs and UN actors.
- Interacts regularly with the international donor and NGO community to ensure awareness of SC programmes and to collect up to date information about the plans and programmes of other actors.
Emergency Response Management
- With the national emergency lead, responsible for strengthening the China CO organisational readiness to respond to emergencies in line with global SCI emergency goal and benchmarks
- Responsible for ensuring that the CO designs, updates and implements a full set of emergency preparedness actions , as defined in MOS – drawing on SC Member input and resources
- Responsible for mounting appropriate and timely responses at scale to all emergencies consistent with established benchmarks, plans and organizational policies, and in close cooperation with incoming surge teams
- Oversee that all CO staff across departments and field offices are familiar with, adhere to and implement the procedures and processes detailed in the Rules and Principles for emergency response
Assist in fund raising efforts for emergency preparedness and response, and disaster risk reduction.
Supervise and manage programme staff
- Ensure appropriate staffing at all levels of the programme department (Work with Senior Management Team to recruit, manage and motivate team)
- Ensure appropriate diversity within the programme team.
- Ensure that programme staff have clearly defined objectives and understand their responsibilities.
- Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process. Establish result based system and follow up
- Ensure availability of appropriate professional development opportunities for programme staff
- Encourage a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation.
Partner Management
- Ensure that every partnership is designed and managed to further the achievement of Save the Children's global strategy and strengthens local and national capacity to deliver for children
- Analyse potential partners using documented selection methods and ensure that all partners comply with Save the Children and donor requirements and regulations
Ensure that the China Programme Office engages in mutual assessment, feedback and learning with partners and assist partners to engage in knowledge building and advocacy
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Recommended minimum of 5 years management experience in a corporate or an NGO environment, including significant field operations experience running both emergency and development programs
Masters degree in development or other social sciences
Robust experience of NGO emergency program cycle management, and with experience of working within a complex and matrix organisation structure
Substantial experience and knowledge of effective financial and budgetary control and securing and managing grants from major institutional donors
Solid project management skills related to organisational development projects and international, cross-functional teams with a proven history of delivering results
Ability to analyze information, evaluate options and to think and plan strategically
An in-depth understanding of national and international development issues in particular in relation to children’s education, health and protection
Previous experience of managing and developing a team and the ability to lead, motivate and develop others
Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills
Fluency in written and spoken English and Chinese
Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with incoming teams in the event of major emergencies
Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches
If you are interested in this position, please read the Child Safeguarding first, fill in the Application Form and send it back to beijingoffice.china@savethechildren.org before 27 February, 2019.
